More Oscar contenders

Million Dollar Baby

This movie was a mix of annoying and good. Matter of fact, it was an annoying mix of annoying and good. It was nominated for best picture, best director, best actor, best actress, and best supporting actor. I say it was a decent film that had a powerful story, the directing was good enough to win the Oscar, but everywhere else it's a little shaky. There is a lot of extraneous crap going on in the film that could be cleaned up a little bit. I give it four minions and a bite, which means wait until a friend buys it then eat his popcorn.

Ray

Best Picture, Best Actor, hands down. I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Jamie Foxx is superb (It must be a new feeling for him) and this film is a spectacular biography of one of the greatest musicians of our time. It appears to be a true to life biography, and one that doesn't always paint Ray Charles in the best light, but you get a good idea about the way he handled his troubles, and how important his story is to America. Five Stars, go see it now.

Oscar contenders

The Aviator:

Nominated for a myriad of awards including best picture, The Aviator is a biographical movie about Howard Hughes. Hughes was one of the most important innovators in aviation history. He was also a hypochondriac with paronoid delusions. The movie focuses more on Hughes descent into mental instablity, rather than on the incredible accomplishments of his life. This is common in a lot Hollywood biographies, where there seems to be a need to destroy individuals, and focus on their faults rather than their accomplishments. Leonardo DiCaprio is not stellar as the unbalanced Hughes, and there is a lot to be desired as far as this film goes. The verdict is three and a half stars out of five, wait for rental release.

Hotel Rwanda:

Nominated for Best Actor (and others) this film is the true story of a hotel manager in the capitol of Rwanda during the Hutu genocide against the Tutsis. It is a great film, and Don Cheadle is deserving of the best actor nomination (though not the award, that should go to Jamie Foxx for his portrayal of Ray Charles in "Ray"). His subtle and solid performance is a highlight to this film. I personally like this film for its notice of the U.N.'s lack of action during the genocide, and Nick Nolte, who I don't normally like, makes an excellent casting as a drinking French Canadian U.N. commander. Five stars, go see it now.